Opinion
Bengals’ Super Bowl history: Cincinnati returns to the big stage for first time since 1988 season
Two years in the past the Cincinnati Bengals discovered themselves on the backside of the NFL with a 2-14 report.
On Sunday, the franchise secured their first Tremendous Bowl look because the 1988 season and with it, a renewed hope for fulfillment.
Joe Burrow was drafted first general within the 2020 NFL Draft however damage would forestall him from reaching his full potential. The next season he would take the Bengals to the playoffs for the primary time since 2015, defeating the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans earlier than topping the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in an exhilarating 27-24 time beyond regulation victory.
JOE BURROW HELPS BENGALS PUNCH SUPER BOWL LVI TICKET, SEPARATES HIMSELF FROM OTHER NFL QBS
Quarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals reacts after the Bengals defeated the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs to win the AFC Championship Sport at Arrowhead Stadium on January 30, 2022 in Kansas Metropolis, Missouri.
(Picture by Jamie Squire/Getty Pictures)
Cincinnati now faces unfamiliar territory, reaching the Tremendous Bowl for simply the third time in franchise historical past.
SUPER BOWL XXIII (1988-1989)
Broad receiver John Taylor #82 of the San Francisco 49ers catches the game-winning 10-yard landing reception within the ultimate moments of the 49ers 20-16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Tremendous Bowl XXIII on January 22, 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida.
(Picture by Robert Riger/Getty Pictures)
Led by league MVP Boomer Esiason and below the course of head coach Sam Wyche, Cincinnati went 12-4 in a season the place they led the league in scoring, dashing yards and whole yards.
After defeating the Seattle Seahawks 21-13 and the Buffalo Payments 21-10 within the AFC Championship Sport, the Bengals had been off to the Tremendous Bowl the place they might tackle the favored San Francisco 49ers led by two-time Tremendous Bowl Champion Joe Montana.
Each groups battled it out for the primary half, managing simply three factors apiece earlier than the Bengals would finally take the lead 16-13 however Montana, with just a bit over a minute left, led an 11-play drive earlier than connecting with large receiver John Taylor for the game-winning landing.
SUPER BOWL XVI (1981-1982)
Superbowl motion in 1982 between the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals, with Ken Anderson as quarterback for the Bengals.
(Getty Pictures)
The Bengals rebounded from the earlier season (6-10) to complete on the high of the AFC with a 12-4 report. Led by quarterback Ken Anderson, additionally awarded league MVP, Cincinnati reached the Tremendous Bowl for the primary time in franchise historical past the place they might tackle Montana and the Niners.
San Francisco dominated the sphere for the primary half, going up 20-0 earlier than the Bengals managed to climb again chopping the deficit to 20-14 early within the fourth quarter. The 49ers would safe the lead with two subject objectives late within the sport to win all of it, 26-21.
The Bengals would face an analogous destiny in 1989.
***
The Bengals averted enjoying the 49ers for the third time after the Los Angeles Rams’ 20-17 in Sunday’s NFC Championship Sport.
